1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus which receives a magnetic resonance signal using an array coil formed by arranging a plurality of element coils.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a method of efficiently performing parallel imaging using an array coil formed by arranging a plurality of element coils.
In this parallel imaging, performance can be enhanced by considering the position of the array coil. For example, in A. Reykowski, M. Blasche, “Mode Matrix—A Generalized Signal Combiner For Parallel Imaging Arrays,” ISMRM 2004, p. 1587, there is disclosed a technique for using “Mode Matrix” to efficiently perform the parallel imaging using a large number of array coils for general imaging.
A known technique for finding the position of a reception coil is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-124135. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-124135 discloses the technique for attaching a marker to a central part of the reception coil, collecting a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from the marker, and finding the position of the marker from the collected NMR signal. Moreover, a method which provides a special mechanism for detecting the position of a coil is proposed by Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 5-41256.
According to the technique of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-124135, the position of the reception coil can be accurately found. However, the position of the reception coil having no marker attached thereto can not be detected. Further, the method in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-124135 is mechanically complicated, and it is difficult to apply this method to the detection of the positions of a larger number of coils.